A nursing bra can greatly facilitate the nursing of an infant while providing support for the mother's breasts when not nursing the infant. However, some nursing bras suffer from several problems. One problem is that some nursing bras cover a large portion of the chest and neck area of the wearer. This can greatly reduce the options available for the wearer in terms of blouses or the like that can be worn without having part of the bra exposed. Another problem is that some such bras traditionally have cups that hinge open and closed and that clip to the straps to hold the cups in the ‘closed’ position. Such bras can have relatively wide shoulder straps, and can also have an upperbust panel that extends between the shoulder strap and the bridge and passes over the top of the breast of the wearer. These upperbust panels can be uncomfortable for the wearer however, and can increase the profile of the bra thereby making it more difficult to wear blouses that are lower-cut without exposing the bra. Yet another problem with such bras is that the clips can in some instances be difficult to operate with a single hand. Furthermore the presence of the clip can detract from the appearance of the bra. In addition to these aforementioned problems, the cups of such bras typically expose the entire breast of the wearer when not clipped in the closed position. Thus, the wearer may wind up exposing more of their breast then they would otherwise desire, while nursing their infant.
It would be advantageous to provide a bra that partially mitigates one or more of the above-noted problems, and other problems.